One Strike Away HIATUS
by Fallenleafz
Summary: Kirito knew that death was only one strike away, yet, he still fought. Even against Akihiko Kayaba, where certain death awaited. When the fatal blow came, Asuna was too slow to absorb it, so Kirito took it instead. {Kirisuna.} [Rated M in case I decide to write something that falls in to that category.]
1. Chapter 1

**genre:: **drama/romance

**based off::** sword art online, anime

**disclaimer::** I do not own SAO, the light novels, or any of it characters. The only thing I own is this story, which I wrote with my own keyboard. Any theives of this content that do not show credit and/or contact me before reposting will be reported on any site put on, be it dA, FF (here), or any other site that allows the publishing of stories.

* * *

_kirito_

I knew, deep down, that I was losing. And I knew that losing meant death.

_No! NO! I gotta go faster!_

Kirito gave what he thought was the best he had, constantly slashing at Heathcliff's - no, Akihiko Kayaba's - shield, only to be constantly blocked. When his Elucidator or Dark Repulsor did get past the bulk of white-and-red metal, it was just parried off by his sword.

He never expected that, when he aimed a strong thrust at the man's shield, that the tip of the Dark Repulsor's tip would break off and slide across the stone floor.

Akihiko Kayaba's avatar smirked.

"Game over, Kirito." He announced, his blade brightening in to a pale red and slashing downward to perform a fatal Sword Skill. He never noticed the figure attempting to absorb the blow until it was too late.

His blade plunged in to Kirito's chest and continued downward, until a large, red gash with 'blood' floating out could be visible on the Black Swordsman's chest. Once Kirito fell, the distraught figure of Asuna stood right behind him, eyes wide and beginning to glisten from forming tears.

* * *

_asuna_

I was too late.

Time seemed to slow as I tried to race towards Kirito and Heathcliff, trying to get there before Heathcliff struck the stunned Kirito with his sword, ending his life.

To my great displeasure and horror, I was too late.

Kirito, the boy who had imbedded himself deep in to my heart, was falling with a very, very large wound on his chest.

"KIRITO-KUN!" I screamed, plunging downwards quite quickly despite my paralysis and catching him in my arms.

"Y-you... I-idiot.." I sobbed, burying my head in his chest. From the corner of my eye, I caught a small smile forming on his lips.

"Kayaba," He whispered, turning his head towards the man who had just killed him with pained efforts. "P-please, keep your promise. Make it so that A-Asuna won't kill herself. Please." Kirito begged. My eyes widened, and I jerked my head up from his chest.

"N-no. Kirito-kun, please.. Please, don't do this.." I sobbed, my tears spilling from my eyes and beginning to soak in to his dark gray shirt. "Y-you already know.. that I can't go on living with you dead!"

His eyes met mine as he opened his mouth again. "Just always know, Asuna.. that I love you, with all my.. heart.." His form began to shimmer, and just before he burst in to thousands of multicolored polygons, Heathcliff spoke.

"Yes, Kirito. I will keep your promise."

After he said those words, the boy who had been my world shattered, never to be seen or spoken to again. As my vision blurred, I caught Heathcliff fiddling with what I presumed was the admin's settings, and I saw a notification on my screen that revealed that, once my HP was about to hit 1, I would become an Immortal Object; how long it lasted, I had no idea.

All I knew was that I _had _to clear the game. So Kirito's death would not be for nothing.

* * *

_14:23:07, September 31, 2024, Floor 22: Coral Village_

I don't know how long it's been since Kirito had been killed on Floor 75, but I know that all the players in the Assault Team were lost.

Losing two of the strongest players in the game was hard to adapt to. Normally, we would've gone to clear the dungeon a day after reaching the next floor, but who knows how long it's been, and no player that we know of has even _visited _the dungeon.

The floor this time was island-themed, with white beaches surrounding it. The water was crystal blue; I would have gone to enjoy the water and near-endless sun, if it wasn't for my pained heart and lack of sleep.

When I had brought the news to Lisbeth, I could have sworn she had a heart attack. She had asked if I was making a sick joke, that I was trying to mess with her, but I had said no.

It made her as broken as I am right now, in mine and Kirito's cabin by the lake on Floor 22.

As it turns out, I really _was _invincible in a way. After Heathcliff disappeared to what he called the Ruby Palace on the 100th Floor, I ran out of Floor 75's boss room and to the dungeon; some of the mobs had respawned, and, sobbing, I had flung myself at the nearest. It impaled me with its sword - it was a colorful feathered creature with cat's eyes and tail - and, right when my HP hit 1, the sword was pushed out of my body and the purple shape reading "Immortal Object" appeared in front of me.

A sigh escaped my lips as I fingered the teardrop-shaped charm that was attached to the chain around my neck. Yui's heart was all I had now. Her and all of Kirito's items that now sat in my storage - since we were married in-game, all of his items were transferred to my inventory after his death.

While thinking of the ebony-haired swordsman, all other memories began to resurface.

None stuck out more than the first few words he had said to her.

_"Try to survive tomorrow. I wouldn't want a party member dying on me."_

"Oh, Kirito-kun.." Asuna whispered, a tear cascading down her cheek.

_"But you're the one who died.."_

* * *

**AN:: **sorry, pretty short, but not a bad start, eh?

fav, follow, review, whatever your heart desires! just no hate for no reason.


	2. An Apology

**not a chapter**

Hey, guys! Sorry for not updating in so long; college, 6 hours spent doing homework and studying, and just.. meh. I only have like, 1 hour a day on the internet, and that's usually spent on looking stuff up, practicing coding, or checking websites.

No, I'm not dropping OSA, don't worry. Just putting this out there for my (few) followers. cx

Second chapter will come out some time next week, probably when episode 12 of SAO airs.

Until then!

-Fallen


	3. Chapter 2

**genre:: **drama/romance

**based off::** sword art online, anime

**disclaimer::** I do not own SAO, the light novels, or any of it characters. The only thing I own is this story, which I wrote with my own keyboard. Any theives of this content that do not show credit and/or contact me before reposting will be reported on any site put on, be it dA, FF (here), or any other site that allows the publishing of stories.

* * *

_third-person view_

A chestnut-haired swordswoman wearing what most knew as the Knights of Blood uniform strolled through the woods, her only way of telling where she was going being the worn path that, by her point of view, seemed to be endless. A while had passed since the death of her lover, Kirito, and she didn't know if she could last much longer. The wear and tear of clearing dungeons must have been getting to her, Asuna mused as the cabin that she lived in came in to view.

Ever since Heathcliff had fled to the 100th floor, leading the Knights of Blood had rested upon Asuna's shoulders, and with that came great stress. More and more people counted on her now, and she wasn't sure if she could meet their expectations - with Kirito dead and Heathcliff now a boss, she was considered the strongest player in SAO, and even that didn't help up her spirits.

A creak shattered her thoughts and Asuna found herself in front of her cabin on Floor 22, opening its door. "I space out too much," Asuna muttered to herself, stepping inside and opening her menu. She unequipped her Knights of Blood uniform and equipped something more comfortable; a dandelion-yellow nightgown with white ruffles at the hem. A sigh escaped her parted lips as she closed her menu and made her way to her bedroom, strolling up to her and Kirito's bed and flopping down.

She didn't yet know if Heathcliff had deactivated her immortal status, but she didn't want to die and find out. He had probably deactivated it a couple days after he put it on.

Her train of thought was interrupted when she felt something on her hand. A neutral creature that snuck in to the cabin, maybe? No, that wouldn't be possible, she would've heard it's footsteps.. And Asuna knew that she didn't have a familiar with her.

Then what was it?

She stole a quick glance at her hand before sitting up and glaring around the room, searching for any signs of a player or monster in the cabin. After looking in every crack - even in the drawers in the nightstand - a partially-satisfied Asuna settled back down on to her bed. It had to have been her imagination.

Her resolution shattered when she, again, felt something on her hand. This time, it was a little warm, and.. wet. _  
_

She flinched and quickly brought the back of her hand to her face. There was no blood particles floating around, it wasn't raining, she hadn't been crying, and.. there was nothing to explain it. She still felt whatever it was on her hand, but couldn't see anything.. Was it some system error that made her sense of touch malfunction? Were the other players feeling the same things? Her mind refused to stop racing, and Asuna found herself spacing out again. _I really, really need to get myself together._

A quick glance out the window told Asuna that it was later than she thought; night had already fallen, so if she wanted a full night's worth of sleep, she should get to bed soon. Seeing as she already had her nightgown on, Asuna walked over to the lamp on the nightstand, turned it off by touching the on/off pad, and climbed into bed. It seemed colder than usual, and it had for a while now - Kirito's warmth was no longer present. A shudder traveled down her spine and she curled up into a ball to preserve warmth. _Even though 'warmth' here is just some form of 1's and 0's.._

Her mind drifted back to the recent events concerning the random feelings on her hand earlier. A system error was the most likely.. she would have to check in with her subordinates at KoB in the morning. Maybe, just maybe, she would come to a conclusion while she was asleep as well.

And with those thoughts in mind, Asuna drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_the next day_

After Asuna had awoken, she quickly re-equipped her KoB uniform and her rapier - after removing her nightgown, of course - and started out towards the plaza on Floor 22 so she could teleport to Granzam, where the Knights of Blood headquarters were located. She was planning to question her subordinates, curious on whether or not they had experienced the strange feelings on their hands last night.

She arrived earlier than most, but she questioned anyone she could find anyway - all of them said they hadn't felt a thing, but had several times in the past. They had been equally confused as well, but had shrugged it off and assumed it was technical difficulties, just as Asuna wanted to think.

What was strange, though, was that nobody had felt their hands get _wet._ This is why Asuna thought it was more than technical difficulties or a malfunction in the system. She vowed to herself to find out what exactly was causing the strange feelings in her hand.

And it wasn't something she would ever expect, either.

**notes:: **Sorry for this chapter being so late and.. short. I wanted to work on it more and make it longer, but I've been unable to and it resulted in no progress being done and a delayed post.

Again, my deepest apologies! I'll try to get a longer chapter out next time, promise! R&R, favorites or follows are always appreciated as well! Especially constructive criticism!

Holy gawd 715 views.


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